Michael Kent Braun[citation needed] (born March 24, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 52nd governor of Indiana since 2025.

[4] Braun opposes the Affordable Care Act, same-sex marriage, abortion, and a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

[6][7] After graduating from Harvard, Braun moved back to Indiana and joined his father's business manufacturing truck bodies for farmers.

According to Braun, until a massive Republican wave in 2016, even Republican-leaning voters voted in the Democratic primary to have a say in local elections.

[16] Braun won the Republican primary for the United States Senate in the 2018 election, defeating U.S. representatives Todd Rokita and Luke Messer[17][18] by over 56,000 votes.

[21] In late 2019, the Indianapolis Star reported that Braun's 2018 campaign was the beneficiary of $2.8 million in spending by a political action committee with strong connections to indicted money launderer Lev Parnas and one of his shell companies.

[22] Parnas supplied photographs of him and Braun embracing at a 2018 campaign event to the House of Representatives as part of his cooperation with the impeachment of President Trump.

[22] On January 3, 2019, Braun was sworn in as the junior United States senator from Indiana by Vice President Mike Pence.

[23] In May 2019, Braun was one of eight senators who voted against a $19.1 billion emergency aid package for states and territories that endured hurricanes, floods and fires.

"[27] In May 2020, Senator Chuck Schumer put forth a resolution to officially release the guidance by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on how to safely lift restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

A leaked version of the guidance showed that it was more detailed and restrictive than the White House recommendations released in April 2020.

[32][33] He was participating in the joint session of Congress counting the electoral votes when a mob of Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol.

"[35] The Democratic Party of Indiana called for Braun's resignation, saying he "incited violence to overturn the presidential election and end American democracy.

[42][43] On September 30, 2024, the Braun for Governor campaign released an ad that contained an image altered to show Democratic opponent Jennifer McCormick leading a rally with people holding signs stating "No Gas Stoves.

[45] Later that day, the Braun campaign released an updated version of the ad with a disclaimer noting the use of an altered image which complies with the law.

[46] On November 5, Braun won Indiana's gubernatorial election by the largest margin for an open governor's seat since 1980.

[47] He ran on a campaign of "Freedom and Opportunity", promising to address rising property taxes, make healthcare more obtainable and affordable, and implement universal school choice.

[59] Along with 10 other Republican senators, Braun initially pledged to object to the counting of the electoral votes in several key states.

[58] After the storming of the Capitol by violent pro-Trump rioters, Braun reversed himself and voted against objections to the election results, saying that he "didn't feel comfortable with today's events.

[66] In January 2024, Braun voted against a resolution, proposed by Senator Bernie Sanders, to apply the human rights provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act to U.S. aid to Israel's military.

[75] In September 2021, Braun opposed the planned COVID-19 vaccine mandate for companies with more than 100 employees, calling it the "biggest overreach by federal government I've seen".

[76] He was the author of the Senate disapproval resolution challenging President Biden's OSHA vaccine mandate for businesses.

[77] In October 2021, Braun invited Chicago police officers who were suspended for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to work in Indiana, saying, "plenty of departments are hiring now".

A reporter then asked if Braun applied the same reasoning to the Loving v. Virginia case that installed federal protections on interracial marriage.